i WAS a member of PETA years and years and years ago

i gave up my membership because they started pissing me off more and more. i didn't like their tactics and i didn't like some of their ummmmmmmmmmm shall we say 'untruths' or not sharing of the WHOLE truth.

of late they have been objectifying women (just one of MANY violations in my opinion). it's ugly.

this latest ad IS VERY ugly AND it's VERY unforgivable:

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PETA's New "Save The Whales" Billboard Takes Aim At Fat Women

Huffington Post | Katherine Goldstein

PETA's new billboard campaign in Florida is raising eyebrows and ire among women and health groups. A drawing on billboards in Jacksonville depicts an obese woman with the phrase, "Save The Whales, Lose The Blubber: Go Vegetarian."

In a press release, PETA stated:

A new PETA billboard campaign that was just launched in Jacksonville reminds people who are struggling to lose weight -- and who want to have enough energy to chase a beach ball -- that going vegetarian can be an effective way to shed those extra pounds that keep them from looking good in a bikini. [....] ..........

oh and p.s. i'm a vegan and i'm NOT skinny

i love cake

i don't even know where to start. i'm going to ramble. sure i love cake, the kind one bakes (as long as it's vegan) but i mean THIS CAKE
who by the way have the following on their homepage of their website:


"I think God's will has to be done in unifying
people and companies to get that gas line
built, so pray for that."

-- Sarah Palin

anyway, i usually publish or link to vegan recipes and vegan blogs on my craft, recipe, 'nice stuff ONLY' blog, the reformed pirate. however, i vowed NEVER to post about or talk about anything political on that blog. so i'm doing this post HERE.

i found the BEST NAMED BLOG EVER today and it's a VEGAN blog too. however, unless you were a fan of cake, you'd never 'get' it. i included the video at the bottom of this post and that's why the post is here at the ol' madwoman blog and not the reformed pirate blog. the video is ummmmmmmm well it includes some political stuff

anyway, the vegan blog i found is called (i hope you're ready for this):

seitan is my motor (i am SO SO SO very amused by that, i can't even tell you)

the actual blog moved here seitan is my motor but the one above still is working too. please watch the video below to 'GET' the blog title

a recipe (vegan) i created yesterday

because i had a fennel bulb AND sweet potatoes that HAD to be used as soon as possible

Sweet Potato and Fennel (vegan)

3 Large Sweet Potatoes
1 Fennel Bulb
1 (or 2) Granny Smith Apples (or the apple of your choice)
Onion (I like onion so I used lots)
Soy Sauce (1 or 2 T)
Cornstarch (1 T)
Hoisin Sauce (1 T)
Cumin (1/2 t or to your taste)
Cayenne Pepper (1/2 t or to your taste)
Maple Syrup (1 T or to your taste)
Stevia (1 packet)


Mix the Soy Sauce, Hoisin Sauce, Cumin, Cayenne, Maple Syrup and Stevia with approximately ½ to ¾ cup of cold water. Stir in the cornstarch

Peel Sweet Potatoes, onion and Apple (you can leave the peel on the apple if you’d like) and clean and wash and trim the fennel bulb. I used a slicer to slice them all fine. If you don’t have one, slice by hand. You can either layer the ingredients in a shallow baking pan (which has either been sprayed with non-stick oil or greased with a little oil) or mix the ingredients and dump them into the baking pan which is what I did since it’s way easier. Pour over ½ of the liquid mixture (stir to make sure the cornstarch is blended) cover and bake at 400 degrees for ½ hour. Turn the heat to 350, uncover, pour the rest of the liquid over the vegetables and bake another ½ hour or until the sweet potatoes are done/tender

(I served mine with a dollop of vegan sour crème)

i read a story in today's msnbc.com that made me VERY angry

here's a comment i left after reading the story:

i've been a vegetarian for well over 30 years and vegan for very many of them. i try not to pass judgement but in this case it's hard to hold back
#1) i'm so very sorry ms de vita-raeburn is not secure enough to make her OWN mind up about eating meat (i'm guessing it must go well beyond the meat issue though - extending to most other things and issues in her life) but must rely on a boyfriend OR her family members OR her friends. i don't care if she eats meat or not. what i care about is every time she goes off of eating meat for a week or a day or an HOUR, she refers to herself as vegetarian. SHE IS NOT NOR HAS SHE EVER BEEN ONE
#2) i'm sorry ms de vita-raeburn is not secure enough about her body. it's a problem most if not ALL american women suffer from. however, to be deathly afraid of gaining a pound or two is grounds to seek out counseling
#3) i'm sorry ms de vita-raeburn 'blames' the italian culture for some of her lapses in meat eating/non meat eating (i am italian and that is simply ridicules. there are so many non meat/fish/fowl italian meals out there it's beyond freedom and dignity. same with MOST if not ALL ethnic foods/recipes).
#4) i just don't get why ms de vita-raeburn wrote this article and#5) i don't get why msnbc published it

and here's a link to the actual story:

Ambivalent vegetarian faces meat of the matter
After years of experimenting, food lover still torn when she picks up a menu

By Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn

Every time I sit down to eat at a restaurant, it’s the same dilemma: Should I choose what I want or order vegetarian? Sometimes I’m lucky and what I want is meatless. But if what I really want is the boeuf bourguignon or the veal pepperonata, I squirm, caught between moral horror, my taste buds and a desire not to be the “weird” vegetarian. I’m 38, and I have been engaged in this internal war, off and on, for nearly 20 years. I have been a vegetarian, semivegetarian and old-fashioned carnivore. Right now, I eat everything — but with a pervasive sense of unease. I thought my dilemma would get clearer over time — that my sense of what’s right, at least right for me, would have naturally evolved toward some conclusion. But it hasn’t. I’m more torn than ever. ........

please note - as stated in my comments above, i really don't care if she eats meat or not. i care that she's a pussy about it AND i care that tripe like this is being published